We had the SERA convention last year at the GA horse fair - one of the
largest events like it in the US. We gave an hour demonstration of
endurance in their large covered arena (it was January) and it was well
attended.
We had a lot of people come by the booth looking for information. Most
were family groups - parents with kids - looking for something to do
with their horses.
Now what do you thing the reaction would had been if we told them - oh
yea we killed 6 horses in 2002 and looks like we're going to beat that
in 2003? How interested do you think they would have been in endurance
after that?
Our sport doesn't have all that a great reputation to start with. Many
other people in the horse world see us as a bunch of yahoos running the
snot out of our horses. I've heard it more than once. I think we may
have gone a long way to overcome that last year at the horse fair, but
all that I suspect would be undone if the fatalities were known.
So we can pat ourselves on the back all we want, we can talk about all
the progress on horse welfare - but horses still die at numbers higher
than in the past. Doesn't matter if it's reporting, doesn't matter what
the case it is fact - they are still dead. You can try to rationalize
it all you want, you can talk about all the vet checks and "our horses
see a vet more in a day than most in a year", etc. but it is still
fact that there are dead horses as a result of an endurance ride and it
is a fact by which we will be judged by those folks outside the sport -
many who think we push our horses too hard to start with.
Truman
Howard Bramhall wrote:
Yea, you're right, I didn't like the way I worded that either.
I was speaking of perception by those outside of the sport, but, it
shouldn't have been worded that way. So, what ideas, if any, do you
like or, are you with Joe and those who think all of this is Bullshit?
I'm so glad you could find something to vent on. Now, about the
ideas. Anything you can accept at all there?
Come now, Howard, you don't really believe
that endurance is "one of the worst places" for a horse to compete, do
you? If you do believe that, why in hell are you involved in this
sport at all?
Your statement is probably an exaggeration
for effect (after all, that's your style), but you might consider that
many of us are more likely to seriously consider suggestions if they're
not couched in overwrought, melodramatic emotionalism.
Cindy
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Original Message -----
what you would do to make our sport the best, instead of one
of the worst, places for a horse to compete
